Ferris Beuller's Day Off

Teen Angst Films: ‘Ferris Beueller’s Day Off’

The film ‘Ferris Beueller’s Day Off’ is a typical teen angst film. The overall storyline of the film involves a teenage boy fooling his parents by pretending to be ill and taking a day off school due to this. The boy’s friend is also taking the day off ill and they team up and cause lots of mischief that is associated with the stereotypical ‘reckless teenager’. This includes making the whole community believe he is genuinely ill, stealing cars, dining at a very posh restaurant and breaking a girl out of school. I think this storyline and style is so attractive to teenage viewers for several reasons. 

Firstly I think this is because the storyline is so relatable to teenagers that is a major reason why they would be attracted to watch it. For example lying about being sick to get a day off of school, virtually every teenager has done this, so they can relate to this. The boys relationship with his sister is also a typical sibling rivalry. The boys sister is trying to catch him out and get him in trouble, many young people have experienced this with an annoying sibling. So I believe that the way the audience can connect to what is going on is why this teen angst film is so effective.

Secondly in the film the boy does things that many teenagers can only dream of doing, whether or not they'd like to, because it is not acceptable to do it in the real world. For example when the boy going joy riding in a Ferrari, this would be an aspiration to drive such a luxury car for many teenagers. This would attract them to watch the film because it creates a sense that they are experiencing this situation with the boy. Also the boy outsmarts his teacher on several occasions such as when he pretends to be a father of a student over the phone. This is another thing that is very unlikely for a teenager to be able to do because it is not socially acceptable. However they find it very entertaining to watch someone else do it.

The film is also very engaging which is important for a teenage audience. For example the boy often speaks directly to the audience such as when he says “this is when Cameron goes berserk”. This use of imperative language telling the audience what is going to happen is very engaging. This is because it prepares the audience for what is going to happen and also creates an element of excitement in anticipation for the viewer.

Lastly another important aspect of a teen angst film is the laughter that it creates for the viewer which is very important for teenagers. This film does this through several different methods. Firstly the their is rude jokes used throughout which are attractive for young viewers. An example of this is when the boy says “Cameron is so tight that if you stuck a lump of coal up his arse, in two weeks you'd have a diamond”. This rude and clever use of joke is likely to make a young viewers laugh because the nature of the rudeness. Secondly the film uses elements of slapstick comedy to make the viewers watch. Fore example when the boys sister kicks the teacher in the face. This is funny for the viewer because it is so unexpected and this shock makes the viewer laugh.